


A Strange Deal

by AlsyWalsy



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gaston is amassive jerk, Like seriously a jerk, RCIJ 2017, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 01:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11590446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlsyWalsy/pseuds/AlsyWalsy
Summary: This is my RCIJ gift for @glindatthegood over on Tumblr.Prompt - Belle has magic.





	A Strange Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This is my RCIJ gift for @glindatthegood! Your prompt sparked a different story that ground to an unfortunate halt, so this strange little piece came into being in the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Prompt - Belle has magic.

“Rumplestiltskin.”

The name was foreign on her tongue – difficult to pronounce but she was sure that she had it right. She glanced around her bed chambers and spoke the name again.

“Rumplestiltskin.”

She felt stupid calling out a random name into the darkness of her rooms. If her maids knew what she was doing.. If her _Father_ knew. She stifled a laugh as she thought of the look that would appear on his face. He would be horrified but just that slightest bit impressed that his darling girl had done something so incredibly stupid. But she refused to think of it as stupid. This was the best plan for her future, so long as he agreed.

“Rumplestiltskin.”

The name left her lips a third time and within one short second the candles in her room were extinguished. A sudden cold gust wrapped around her, causing her to jump and snap closed the book that had been resting in her lap. She wasn’t easily spooked but she hadn’t expected being plunged into darkness.

She couldn’t see or hear a thing, but she could feel another presence in the room with her. Something was shifting near her door – it had to be him.

“I know that I called you here but the least you could do is leave me with some light.” She could have sworn she heard a snicker behind her as she started to fumble for matches to light the candle at her bedside. She carefully weaved her way through piles of books and lit the candle, taking it to relight the others in the room.

“And what if I don’t want any light in here?”

The voice was high pitched and ended with a giggle, almost like she imagined an imp or a mischievous pixie might sound. The being snapped their fingers and she was plunged into darkness once more.

“Really?!” She sighed, exasperated.

“Really, dearie. Perhaps I prefer the darkness..” She reached out for the matches again then jumped suddenly when the voice sounded right beside her ear. “The light is terribly boring.”

The candles all burst into life around her, making her jump just a little bit. The one in her hand remained dead but she could now see around her again. The being that must have been so close just a moment ago had once again retreated to the darkness near her door.

“Are you going to hide like some kind of shadow or are you willing to come out and speak to me like a normal person?” The figure let out another one of those giggles.

“Who says I am normal? What do your little books say about me?”

Belle looked around at the pile of books on her floor. Well, just one of the many piles of books. The castle had a library but she usually ended up just keeping books in her rooms when she had finished reading them. At this point she might actually have more books in her rooms than in the library. The small pile on the floor was all that she had managed to gather with references to the ancient creature referred to as the Dark One. One book had mentioned a name with which to call for him if you wished to make a deal.

“That you are an ancient evil entity who makes deals with the desperate, usually to their detriment.” Most tales had spoken of how barbaric he was but she wasn’t convinced that the tales were entirely true. To her, they mainly seemed like fiction written by those who wished to spread terror.

Rumplestiltskin giggled in the darkness and she heard him clap his hands. “Sounds about right.”

“Even if that is so.. step out so I can see you?”

For a moment she was concerned that this silly little argument would continue to go back and forth, but suddenly, he appeared.

She wasn’t entirely sure what she had been expecting, but a slim man who was only a few inches taller than her was probably low on the list of possibilities. She had never seen a man like him, however. His skin almost sparkled in the flickering candlelight and his eyes were large and dark. His nails were black and his teeth rotten. But he was a man – not a creature.

“That’s better.”

Disappointment flickered across his face and she couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he had hoped to intimidate her but she hadn’t so much as flinched at the sight of him.

“What is it that you want, dearie? My time can always be better spent elsewhere, you know.” The Dark One lifted one finger and waved it from side to side, almost telling her off like she were a child who had done something wrong.

“I want to be your apprentice.”

For a moment there was silence; the room so still that one could hear a pin drop. Then the Dark One seemed to gather his wits and giggled that strange titter of his. “I don’t take apprentices and certainly not princesses.”

“I am no princess, let’s get that straight. I am a Lady and it is a title that I do not want. I want nothing that comes with it, either. No stuffy balls, no political intrigue, no arranged marriage..”

“Aaaaaah.” Rumplestiltskin turned on his heel and started to wander around her room. “So that is why you called me here. You do not wish to fulfil the marriage contract that your parents put in place. It’s a very common problem.”

“Father.”

“What?” He looked at her in confusion.

“My Father arranged the marriage. My Mother would never have done such a thing to me. I mean, he thinks he is doing his best but Gaston is.. Well.” She shrugged her shoulders, assuming that he would have an idea of what to expect if he was often called by upset women trying to escape from their betrotheds.

“Not exactly a virtuous knight from the tales?” Rumplestiltskin scoffed. “Men rarely are. Those stories are just stories. But my point stands – I don’t take on apprentices. Teaching someone magic is hardly an easy task. It can take years, perhaps even decades..”

“I know magic.”

“What?” She seemed to have caught him off guard again.

“I know magic. I can’t control it, believe me, I’ve tried.. but I have magic.”

She couldn’t put a name on the look he was giving her, but she had an inkling that he might be considering her. Maybe he was wondering just what he could get out of her for such a favour. The books stated that he took horrible things – often children.

“All right, then, I shall make you an offer. I shall teach you how to control your magic..” He swayed back and forth on his feet then leant close, invading her personal space. “And you let me torment this Gaston of yours.”

She took a step back, surprised. “What? Is that all?”

“Yes. That is all. Take it or leave It, dearie..” With a flourish and a bow, a scroll suddenly appeared in his hands. In the other he held out a quill.

“You won’t hurt him?”

“Not directly. We can torment him together if it pleases you.”

If getting her freedom just meant pranking Gaston for a while then surely it was the best plan? She couldn’t see any downside.. in fact, it could be quite fun. She took the scroll from his hands and turned to sit at the desk.

“I will let you know my decision once I have read the small print.”

“Read the..”

“Does nobody ever read your contracts?” She lit the candle on her desk and glanced over at him. He was watching her as though she had grown another head.

“Well.. no.”

“Then be quiet and let me be the first.”

To her immense surprise, the Dark One fell quiet. She could still hear him wandering around her room and occasionally opening and closing a book. But she was able to read every word on the contract and was pleased to see that Gaston would not be harmed. He might be horrible but he didn’t deserve to be harmed with these little tricks.

“All right.. here.” She signed the contract and stood up, holding it out. “I agree to your terms. You are allowed to play tricks or pranks on Gaston for the next month and then I shall go with you to your castle.”

“Forever?”

“Forever.”

He grinned and clapped his hands. “Perfect. Will you be joining me in these little antics or shall you simply be an ‘innocent bystander’?”

The contract vanished from her hands. “We shall see.”

“I like you, dearie.”

“Belle.” She corrected. “My name is Belle.”

“Belle it is. I shall see you soon.” Rumplestiltskin vanished from her rooms with one last high pitched giggle.

“What an odd little man..”

 

* * *

 

It was a week before the Dark One returned to the castle. She had been wondering how long it would take him to appear and had almost lost belief that the whole exchange had even happened. Perhaps she had imagined it all, or even dreamt it if she had fallen asleep on her pile of books. But it had been far too real to be a dream. Then she  caught her first sign of his presence.

Gaston had insisted on taking her for a walk and her Father had insisted that she just give him a chance. It was difficult to say no to her Papa so she had agreed, no matter how grudgingly.

Walking alongside Gaston was always an interesting experience. The oaf did his best to pay attention to her as though he were truly interested, but they would usually pass some pretty young thing that would fawn all over him and take his attention. He would often chat up another girl on his route around with her.

It didn’t take long for the opportunity to arise.. a young blonde had sauntered up to the pair and rested a hand on Gaston’s shoulder. They had only been talking for thirty seconds before Gaston’s breeches suddenly hit the dirt.

“What?!”

“Oh!”

Belle jumped back and quickly stifled her laughter behind both hands. The girl had backed up a step or two and was staring in shock at Gaston’s off white underwear. The man himself was trying his best to pull his breeches back up but every time he grabbed the waistband and tugged, the breeches stayed tight to his ankles.

Magic.. she could recognise the feeling of it. It had a sort of aura, not visible but almost a soft and gentle breeze that was unnatural. She couldn’t see Rumplestiltskin but she was sure that she could hear that high pitched giggle almost on the wind.

“What on earth is this sorcery?!”

Those who were passing and happened upon the scene were laughing at the oaf’s misfortune. Gaston’s cheeks were quickly turning red and he eventually gave up trying to pull them back up and instead began shuffling back to the castle, covering himself as best he can.

The laughing crowd followed him back to the castle, leaving Belle standing alone with an open smile. It had been nice to see Gaston humiliated for a moment.

“You can come out now. I know you are around here somewhere.”

She felt his presence at her shoulder all of a sudden. “Careful, dearie.. People might think you are crazy – talking to yourself.”

“I feel like I am a little crazy for even having called you in the first place. But that little show was rather worth it.”

Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands and stepped forward to stand before her. “It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Will the magic wear off?”

“Hmmm..” The small man shrugged and grinned. “In an hour or two.”

Belle found herself joining him in his laughter. She was glad that nobody was around to see them, such an odd pair.

“Do you fancy joining in the fun next time?”

“I can’t control my magic.. and I am not exactly crafty in tormenting others.”

“Pish posh, ‘tormenting others’, as you put it, is easy! You just need to know what would affect them the most. Like your ‘knight’ for instance. He values his appearance and imagery above all else. Take away all that and you have won! Fairly simple, hmm?” Rumplestiltskin was looking at her with those mossy green eyes, most likely off-putting for all of those who encountered him. But they didn’t put her off. She found his delight almost endearing.

“You make it sound so, yes.”

“Fun too..” He gently poked her in the ribs as he twirled around her and pointed over her shoulder at the door Gaston had disappeared through. “Why don’t you ask him to try again, maybe go for a ride on horseback?”

“I won’t allow you to hurt a horse, Rumplestiltskin.”

He scoffed near her ear and wandered off a few steps. “There’s no fun in that. I have a few ideas that may or may not leave your dear knight covered in bruises and a few scrapes.”

Belle didn’t like causing people any pain. She was a good person and felt in unnecessary to be violent.. but Gaston did deserve some comeuppance for the way he treated her and other women. It would only be a few scrapes and bruises after all.

“Only if you promise that nobody would get hurt.. Horse included.” She rolled her eyes at the look on his face. “Seriously injured.”

“Promise!” The little imp man grinned and clapped his hands. “Tomorrow. Take him out tomorrow, around the lake. I shall come and say hi – he will love it.”

“Oh, I am sure he will.”

She knew that he had vanished without looking around. She could feel the touch of the smoke he summoned when he vanished from sight. She had been left completely alone in the courtyard.. there was no sense in wasting a lovely day.

She took a moment to grab a book then went out to enjoy her walk all on her own. And it was glorious.

 

* * *

 

Over the next few weeks Rumplestiltskin made several appearances. All sorts of trouble seemed to be following Gaston everywhere he went. Things would break, things would fall down, even once the large man managed to drop his sword when practising and the weapon snapped cleanly in half. It was also a terrible shame that the blacksmith just somehow couldn’t manage to reforge the blade, meaning that the knight would have to work with a standard blade for the time being.

Nobody ever saw the Dark One but Belle knew that every single event was his doing. She could feel his presence and would often see him after it had quietened down. He was almost always lurking in the shadows or amongst the masses, hidden by darkness or a hood. She could always see his grin.

His sense of humour always managed to make her laugh. He had been true to his word – nobody had been hurt. Gaston had so far experienced some bruising and one minor scratch as a result of his horse spooking and taking him for a short drag around the banks of the lake. The horse had been soothed immediately after Gaston was freed. Belle had seen that her new friend had a fondness for animals.

Nearly three months since she had first called Rumplestiltskin, Belle was beginning to wonder when her end of the strange deal would be fulfilled and she could leave. She would miss her Papa but the date of her wedding day was beginning to loom on the horizon. She hoped it wouldn’t be much longer.

The library was her second home, after her own bed chambers. She liked to lose herself amongst the stacks and the stories of heroes, wizards and dragons. It was her escape from daily life and she hated being interrupted.

“How is it that I always find you in here?”

She didn’t need to look up from her book to know who had entered her private domain. She would no longer be able to read but she feigned continuing anyway. “Because I like it here, Gaston. Please don’t interrupt.”

“Oh, come on, Belle. Books are useless! You won’t be needing them once we are married. You will be able to spend all your time taking care of our kids.”

It wasn’t the first time that Gaston had mentioned ‘their’ children. She had gotten bored of telling him it would never happen; it was easier to just ignore the comments entirely. She tried her best to start reading again in the vain hopes that he would go away. Instead, a huge meaty hand took the book away from her.

“Gaston! I am trying to read.” She pulled the book back but knew it was useless to try and continued.

“Talking is much more interesting.”

She rolled her eyes and rounded the man to put her book down on the small table near the shelf. She was about to speak again when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A flicker of movement. Rumplestiltskin.

Gaston leant his weight against the nearest bookshelf and Belle was worried it might fall over for a moment. The knight seemed oblivious to his precarious position and far more interested in talking about himself. As always.

“As you know, our wedding is nearly two months away now.. and I thought it would be a good idea to talk about our life once we are man and wife.”

Gaston ran a hand over his perfectly styled hair and Belle fought the urge to ruffle it just to annoy him. Almost as though he were reading her mind, Gaston’s hair started to stand on end. Gently, so that the man himself wouldn’t notice, but he soon looked more like a hedgehog than the perfectly groomed man he strived to be.

She had to stifle a laugh behind her hand, blue eyes flickering around the room to try and find the trickster.

“What?” Gaston frowned and looked over his shoulder. Seeing nothing, he turned back to her and took a step back. “You’re not going to throw up, are you?”

She huffed a sigh and walked away. “No, Gaston, I am not going to throw up. But I might throw a book at you if you don’t go away. It seems that you are so insistent I won’t be able to read once we are married so why don’t you let me enjoy my hobby whilst I still have it?”

Gaston looked like a kicked puppy dog. A massive, hideous, misogynistic baboon of a puppy dog. But she stood firm and folded her arms over her chest. Then his face changed. A sly grin spread across his face and he took a couple of steps towards her. She frowned as she found herself quickly backed up against the small table. Her hands scrambled for something to hold onto, something to hit him with if he decided to get too.. _friendly_. She wrapped her fingers around the heaviest book.

“Who wants to read when there are far more fun things to be doing?”

She tightened her grip on the book, ready to swing it at a moment’s notice. For now he was just being creepy. Creepy she could deal with.  “Leave me alone, Gaston. I won’t ask you again.”

“Oh, come on. I know you don’t want me to go away.”

She sighed and put the book down, instead planting both hands on his chest and shoving him away from her. He was awfully heavy but she managed to get him off her just for a moment. It would have been long enough to run away had she been given the chance.

The moment Gaston stepped away from her; the bookshelf beside them began to rock and suddenly fell. Directly on top of Gaston.

Both of them cried out as the heavy shelf came crashing down on his shoulder, half clipping him and forcing him to the ground. Books spilled everywhere as Belle clambered half onto the table to get out of the way.

“What?!” Gaston was shouting now, doing his best to push the bookshelf up enough to slide out. His lip was split and blood was dribbling down his chin, but she didn’t see any other injuries.

“I- I don’t know what happened!”

She hopped off the table to help him as best she could, holding up the shelf for the last moment. Gaston struggled to his feet and winced when he moved his right arm. “I swear, I must be cursed! Things keep happening and it is not natural!”

Belle blanched at his words. She suddenly remembered Rumple’s presence earlier on. It must have been his doing, though she couldn’t see him for once. Perhaps he had realised that he had really messed up this time.

“You should go and get seen by the doctor, he will help with your pain. I will find some men to clean up the books.”

She frowned when he kicked at a few books on his way out. “Stupid things.”

Belle waited two minutes after Gaston left before she called out. She wanted to make sure that he was gone before she had an argument with the _Dark One_ in her bloody library.

“You had better explain yourself right now, Rumplestiltskin, because you promised me that you wouldn’t hurt anybody! You could have killed him and even me!”

There was a shuffling in the far corner, as though a five year old was being told off and was uncomfortable under his Mother’s wrath.

“I know you are in here so don’t you dare hide me from me.”

“He was intimidating you..” The voice was a lot quieter than she was used to from the imp.

“I could have handled myself. I can handle you, can’t I?”

“I would never try to do that to you.”

He was still hiding and it was starting to annoy her. “Rumplestiltskin, come out here. Please?”

The sorcerer stepped out from between two stacks and looked at the books at her feet. In an instant the shelf had righted itself and all the books magically slotted themselves back into place. Just a glance told her that they were all in the correct places again.

“You could have really hurt him. I don’t care what he was doing..”

“He shouldn’t have done that. I just..”

She smiled slightly and stepped up closer to him. She acted in the moment and gently kissed his cheek. “You were trying to protect me, I know that.. Thank you.”

When she stepped away she nearly laughed at the stunned look on his face. He was staring over her shoulder with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open. She gently patted his cheek to wake him up.

“Rumple.. promise me something?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you take me on as your apprentice now?”

She didn’t want to have to face Gaston again. She didn’t want to have to deal with any more stomach churning dread when she thought of her impending wedding. She just wanted to be free.

“It’s forever.. remember?”

His voice sounded so much more human than any other time he had spoken to her before. The sound brought a warm smile to her face.

“I remember. And I agree.”

“Then yes. Let’s go from here.”


End file.
